Blog Post by Quitt

Key receipt: You and your nanny on the safe side

During a hand-over of keys between you and your nanny, it is smart and foresighted to have a written document that acknowledges the hand-over and states the approach if the key gets lost. This is where a key receipt is of great help to you.

A key receipt can avoid precarious situations and brings clarity regarding several questions that may occur if a key gets lost. Such questions could include: Which house keys did I give to my nanny? What day was it again? Did one of my children lose one of the keys or was it my nanny? Did I lose them? As the key number is written down on the key receipt, it is clear which exact key was handed over and who will cover the costs in case of a loss of the keys. Therefore, it prevents a big source of misunderstandings and unjustified accusations right from the start.

Key receipt – Reliability for both sides
Our key receipt can be downloaded for free and is available in German, English and French.

Key receipt German
Key receipt English
Key receipt French

Using the provided template is a rapid way to prepare an adequate scripture to document the key hand-over while considering the interests of both sides – the employer and the employee. On the key receipt, the employer and nanny have a choice of two different options of agreement about what to do if the key is lost.

First option: The employer has to cover all expenses that occur if the key gets damaged or lost. If there is any case of gross negligence detectable on side of the employee, he could get held liable and needs to bear a part of the expenses (Art. 321e OR).

Generally speaking, the hand-over of a key brings a big portion of responsibility for the nanny. The risk of a housebreaking after the loss or damage of a key depends on what information is visible on the key. Never sign a key with name or address of the employer. Considering this little hint, it is not necessary to exchange all locks and keys if a single key gets lost. High costs can be avoided by this simple procedure. You will find more information on the legal situation here.
Second option: This is the carefree way. In case the employer has taken out a household insurance with quitt.ch, any costs incurred through the loss or damage of the keys are covered by the household insurance. With this insurance, there will be no trouble in case a key disappears. The nanny as well as the employer can solve the problem without big excitement.

Don’t wait too long with filling out the key receipt. We highly recommend filling out the key receipt right after the signature of the employment contract. This provides the best start for the new employment and supports a good cooperation.
By the way, all employees of quitt.ch have signed this exact key receipt as well!